Webster’s defines team as “a group on one side as in football or a debate.”
Since being named head football coach at Grenada High School last January, Michael Fair has used an acronym for the word “team” as the driving force for his Chargers making a run this season. They now have an opportunity to play for a Class 6A State Championship tonight, Friday, Dec. 1, in Oxford against West Jones.
“Team means a lot to us,” Fair said. “This is not just the sense that our guys are a team in the sense of being together. We use an acronym that says T stands for “Toughness,” E stands for “Effort,” A stands for “Attitude” and M stands for “Maturity.” When I got here, those were the four things that we were going to build this program around. All of these characteristics and individual decisions that our players have to make, to see it 15 weeks later has been fun to watch. Being part of something that is bigger than the individual is special and that’s what makes high school football what it is.”
Coach Fair has seen these characteristics not just from his frontline players, but from other players looking to contribute to success of the Chargers.
“We all know that only so many players can start each week, but to watch these young men figure out what their role is and helping this team to be successful to the best of their ability is what makes championship teams,” he said.
Chargers junior linebacker Sema’j Avery chases down South Panola senior Michael Johnson during Grenada’s contest Friday night in Batesville.
The first-year Grenada head coach saw this first-hand during last week’s 33-21 win over South Panola in the Class 5A North State finals in Batesville. With a two-score lead on two different occasions, South Panola rallied to within a touchdown. Each time, the Chargers were able to answer that rally, scoring both times.
“We had a lot of different chances to fold when they cut the lead to one score,” Coach Fair said. “The momentum was shifting and we either got a key stop or increased the lead to two scores. It’s been a season full of opportunities like that. The players have risen to the occasion time and time again.”
Not many people expected the Chargers to be 11-3 and playing for a state championship.
“To be able to accomplish what we have in our first year is really special,” Coach Fair said. “It’s a testament to our coaches and our players. We set some lofty goals for this season and for them to reach them is just phenomenal to sit back and watch them do it. A championship run changes the dynamics of the program, athletic department and the school in general. We want all the young boys in Grenada County to be a part of our Charger football program. We feel like we are going to put out some outstanding young men in this program for years to come.”
Another key to the success of the program is the closeness of the players with each other. Coach Fair said this is no accident.
“We have a team meeting every day and we talk to them about the things that are important to this program, our schedule, what is expected of them and what it is like to be a part of a team,” he said. “A few months ago, a lot of players had some individual goal, which isn’t a bad thing. What we are trying to teach is if you think about team first and what you can do to help this team be successful – all of those goals will be reached. It’s just a mindset and this team cares for each other. We talked last week about some of the reasons that we wanted to win. One of the main reasons is that we didn’t want the season to be over.”
Coach Fair started leading his team through a book 10 weeks ago entitled “The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy” by Jon Gordon.
“The book contains 10 rules to live by and I started it 10 weeks ago for a reason,” he said. “I started the book when I did because I knew if we finished the book, we would be playing for the state championship. It’s some of the many things that we are doing in our program and facility that I am so proud of. We are where we are because of these players and the resiliency they have shown throughout the season.”
The success has also been seen in the community support, according to Coach Fair.
“We had tremendous support in Batesville,” Fair said. “Our support from the community has been outstanding – it’s been a lot of fun to watch. We want to give this town something to be proud of and our players have done that.”
West Jones
Fair realizes the task ahead for his team having to face an undefeated West Jones (13-0) team that is allowing an average of 5.6 points a game with six shutouts this season.
“They are a stout football team,” Coach Fair said. “It’s not supposed to be easy when you get to this point in the season. The playoffs are designed to get down to the best two teams in the state and I think we have that. We have our work cut out for us. There are two different type teams that make it to the championship games – one is a team that is happy to be there and they are going to stop and smell the roses, resting on their laurels, and then there is the team that is going to win it and that’s who we are. The preparation and game-planning for this week has been on another level because when you get this close you want to win it. I have been on both sides of it. We have a team and coaches that want to win it all.”
The Mustangs are led by a trio of seniors on the defensive side of the football. Linebacker Rase Jones (6-foot-2, 200) leads the team with 108 total tackles to go with 16 sacks and 12 tackles for losses. Defensive end Isaiah Lindsey (6-foot-3, 230) has 91 tackles, while defensive back Jamarion Keyes has 45 tackles.
GHS senior defensive back Martrevion Austin looks for running room after intercepting a South Panola pass late in the game last Friday night.
“One thing that helps us is our schedule,” Fair said. “We have played against SEC guys and All-State guys. It’s not like we will be looking on other side of the football and see outstanding players for the first time. We have been able to have some success against some good players and defenses in the past. We will have to do some things right to move the football right against them.”
Offensively, the Mustangs are led by junior Elijah Jones (6-foot-1, 230), who has rushed 157 times for 1,323 yards and 16 touchdowns. Sophomore Caleb Holmes (5-foot-8, 180) has 107 carries for 857 yards and 8 touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Kymaurion Lindsey has rushed 76 times for 724 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a passer, Lindsey is 64-of-119 for 1,073 yards and 10 touchdowns to go with four interceptions.
“They have really good running backs – one is sophomore and the other is a junior,” Coach Fair said. “The quarterback is a dual-threat guy, who is a ninth grader. They run the option and speed-option with him. He has a decision to make to hand the ball off or keep it. When he keeps it, he has been dynamic.”
The GHS coach says his guys have accepted being considered the underdog in the title game.
“We are playing a really tough opponent,” Fair said. “Most folks consider us the underdog and we are OK with that role.”
Keeping West Jones off balanced will be the key to the Chargers success offensively, according to Coach Fair.
“You have to keep them off schedule,” Fair concluded. “There are going to be times we will need to throw on first down and run on third down. If you let them settle in there and stay on schedule – being big and heavy on first down – along with third-and-short, letting them play coverage on third-and-long, you are in for a long night. First downs are the key for us to get our tempo and rhythm going. If we do that, we usually put together really good drives. That is what we have been able to do the last two weeks. When you just look at their stats, it’s a pretty daunting task.”
Statistically, GHS senior quarterback Charlie Fair is 172-of-301 for 2,186 yards and 17 touchdowns to go with just seven interceptions. On the ground, junior Macaleb Taylor has 326 carries for 1,825 and 21 touchdowns. Taylor also has five touchdown receptions this season. The leading receiver is sophomore Zayion Cotton with 37 catches for 636 yards and five touchdowns.
Grenada senior linebacker Theron Hubbard tackles South Panola senior receiver Mykel Allen during last Friday night’s North State title game.
Defensively, junior linebacker Jahmani Washington leads the unit with 122 total tackles. Senior linebacker Sema’j Avery has a total of 75 tackles, while junior defensive end Jarques Perry is third on the Chargers’ defense with 67 tackles and leads the team with 13 sacks.
Kickoff is at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is at 7:30 p.m.
